Witnessing the Islanders win the NHL draft lottery on Monday and vault nine other teams in the order for the right to have the No. 1 pick represented yet another memorable moment for the four-time Stanley Cup champion and member of the 1980 gold-medal-winning "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic team.
The Islanders, who missed the playoffs for the second time in four seasons, are in the midst of a front-office shakeup after not renewing general manager Lou Lamoriello's contract on April 22. And they earned a remarkable lottery win by entering the day with a 3.5% shot — the 10th-best odds — of seeing their numbers come up.
"A couple of seconds ago, we were just like 10 back, so it still hasn't sunk in," Utah GM Bill Armstrong said of a first-year franchise that finished just seven points out of a playoff spot. "This is an exciting moment for us. It's a game-changer for us."
"We definitely lucked it out last year to be able to select Mac," Sharks GM Mike Grier said in referring to selecting Boston University center Macklin Celebrini first overall. "This year would have obviously been nice to have the pick and have the choice of all the players. But picking two, we're still in a pretty good spot so we're happy."
ESPN's John Buccigross and National Hockey League Deputy Commissioner, Bill Daly, announce the final draft positions during the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery at NHL Network Studio on May 5, 2025 in Secaucus, New Jersey. Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty ImagesThe Islanders have the right to pick first for the fifth time in team history, and first since selecting John Tavares with the No. 1 choice in 2009.
The prospect pool is not considered as deep at the top as last year's class, or next year's group, with Canadian junior forward Gavin McKenna long regarded as the No. 1 candidate.
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 183 pounds, Schaefer maintained his No. 1 position despite missing the final three months of the season after breaking his right collarbone representing Canada at the world junior championships in December.
The top-ranked international skaters are center Anton Frondell and right wing Victor Eklund, who are teammates with Djurgarden of Sweden's second division league.
The New York Rangers enjoyed the previous largest move up to No. 1 in 2020, when they were grouped among eight teams — ranked eighth to 15th — with the same odds to win the lottery after being eliminated in the COVID-altered play-in round of the expanded 24-team playoff format.
The lottery was held at the NHL Network studios in New Jersey, and conducted live for the first time in the event's 30-year history. Previously, the lottery was held shortly before the broadcast in front of a limited audience of sequestered observers, followed by the draft selections being revealed in reverse order.
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